Nov. 20, 2009

If the preseason polls are any indication, the 2009 Valley Cup Women’s Basketball Classic opponents could be seeing one another in March.

For UMass Lowell, the host, the Classic is a chance to return to stake its claim among the top teams in the East Region.

The Classic opens Saturday at 1:00 when perennial Northeast-10 Conference frontrunner Bentley meets Bloomfield of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference at 1:00, after which UMass Lowell hosts CACC contender Caldwell College at 3:00.

The field is reversed on Sunday at Bentley meets Caldwell at 1:00, followed by UMass Lowell Bloomfield at 3:00.

Live video for all four games will be available at http://gse.uml.edu/live/bball.html, with color commentary by Matt Futrell for UMass Lowell’s games. Live stats will also be available at http://www.goriverhawks.com/livestats/w-baskbl/xlive.htm.

Selected No. 3 in the CACC Preseason Poll, Caldwell College enters the 2009-10 season looking to improve from a 10-18 overall record (8-9 in the CACC). The Cougars are off to a good start, having stunned No. 9 Stonehill Sunday (57-50) in Easton to open the season.

Caldwell returns eight players from the 2008-09 squad, including junior G Kirsty Leedham (16.6 points per game), a CACC Third Team standout last year, along with sophomore F Kaitlyn Lambert (11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg), the CACC Rookie of the Year.

With nine players returning from last year, Bloomfield College is expected to win the CACC North Division after placing second in 2008-09. Spearheading the effort will be junior F Tiffany McDaniel who compiled 11.9 points and 9.2 rebounds a game, and junior F Nicole Hawkins, who chipped in 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.

The Deacons opened the season Sunday against Saint Rose, enduring a 64-42 loss in Albany, NY.

After a tied-for-second showing in the Northeast-10 Conference last year, Bentley was selected No. 2 in the 2009 NE-10 Preseason Poll with seven players returning from last year’s 21-12 team. The Falcons are living up to the billing, evidenced by recent wins over No. 17 Holy Family (72-61) and Merrimack (71-62).

Highlighting the list of veterans is junior G Kim Brennan (15.1 ppg), a NE-10 Second Team standout last year, and senior F Collette Josey (6.3 rpg, 2.2 bpg).

Fresh off Wednesday night’s 60-59 season-opening loss at Saint Michael’s, UMass Lowell looks to rebuild from a 8-19 finish (5-17 in the Northeast-10 Conference) in 2008-09 behind the return of seven veterans and three starters.

Seniors Jen Valente and Rahshala Valentine, last year’s top two scorers, return a combined 21.8 points per game. Valente (12.0 ppg) ranked among NE-10 leaders in field goal accuracy with a .508 clip while Valentine (9.8 ppg) was among NE-10 assist leaders with 3.8 per.

Notable last season was the fact that UMass Lowell suffered its losses last year by a mere average of 7.1 points per game.